The present invention relates to a card connector. Specifically, the present invention relates to a card connector having a temporary holding mechanism.
Various types of card connectors have been developed to connect a card such as a SD card or a memory stick to a circuit of a device. For example, there is a card connector having an ejector to move with a card for easier insertion and pull-out of the card. When the card is inserted or pulled out, the ejector moves for a specific distance with the card using an elastic force of a spring or the like.
A temporary holding unit is often provided for holding a card temporarily upon moving to avoid an inadvertent popping out of the card when the ejector moves suddenly. For example, in a conventional card connector according to Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-326028, an ejector having a spring property is formed of a temporary holding structure. That is, a card locking portion, a part of the ejector, is formed in a spring shape.    Patent Reference: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-326028
In the conventional card connector disclosed in Patent Reference, a card hook portion of the ejector has a spring property to temporary hold the card. Accordingly, when the card is temporarily held after ejected, a locking force of the card is not sufficient enough or an excessive locking force may cause a deformation or fatigue of the spring.
In the conventional card connector, the ejector needs to be formed in an appropriate shape to obtain an appropriate locking force during the temporary holding state. However, it is often difficult to determine a shape of the ejector since cards and connectors have been continuously downsized. As a result, it has been difficult to obtain an enough locking force in the temporary holding state.
In view of the problems of the conventional technology described above, an objective of the present invention is to provide a card connector, in which an elastic member (spring) is integrated with an ejector for improving a locking force of a card in a temporary holding state, rather than adjusting a shape of the ejector.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.